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Thera 4.11: Mudita
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(197):Mudita Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter IV. Four Verses =197. Mudita= Reborn in this Buddha-age in the family of a Kosalan commoner, he was named Mudita. When he was come of age, his clan for some reason became objectionable to the king. Mudita, terrified of the king, ran away,1 and 188 entering the forest, approached the living of an arahant(enlightened) Thera. The latter, seeing his terror, asked him to fear not, and reassured him. 'How long, your reverence, will it take before I am free from danger?' 'When seven or eight months have passed.' 'I cannot wait so long; I will leave the world(for monkhood), your reverence; initiate me into monkhood!' So he begged, to protect his life. The Thera initiated him into monkhood. And he, coming to believe in the doctrine, lost his fears and exercised himself for insight. Failing to win arahantship(enlightenment), he vowed not to leave his retreat till he had, and upon that succeeded. Thereafter experiencing the bliss of emancipation(nirvana), he was asked as to his success by his fellow-bhikkhus(monks). And he told them how he had succeeded, thus: ---- 311 Pabbajiɱ jīvikattho'haɱ laddhāna upasampadaɱ,|| Tato saddhaɱ paṭilabhiɱ daḷhaviriyo parakkamiɱ.|| || 312 Kāmaɱ bhijjatu'yaɱ kāyo maɱsapesī visīyaruɱ,|| Ubho jaṇṇukasandhīhi jaŋghāyo papatantu me.|| || 313 Nāsissaɱ na pivissāmi vihārā ca na nikkhame,|| Na'pi passaɱ nipātessaɱ taṇhasalle anūhate.|| || 314 Tassa mevaɱ viharato passa viriyaparakkamaɱ,|| Tisso vijjā anuppattā kataɱ buddhassa sāsanan' ti.|| || ---- 311 I left the world(for monkhood) that I might save my life, And, once initiated into monkhood, I won back faith and hope; Valiant in energy I onward pressed. 312 Now an it must be, let this body break And waste and let its flesh consume, My limbs let falter at the knee and fail; 313 I2 will not eat nor will I drink again, Nor from this lodging let me issue forth, Nor will I even lie upon my side, While yet the dart of Craving lies undrawn! 314 Thus firm I remaining - O see And mark the forward stride of energy: The Threefold Wisdom have I made my own, And all the Buddha remains us do is done! ---- 1 Cf. CCXI. Mudita signifies complacent, glad. Cf. Bud. Psy., p. 65, n. 1. 2 = verses 223, 224 (Paccaya, CLXXI.). ---- =4.12 197 Commentary on the stanza of Muditatthera= The stanza starting with Pabbajiṃ constitutes that of the venerable thera Mudita. What is the origin? This one also having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn in a family home, at the time of the Blessed One Vipassī; on having attained the age of intellignece, he one day happened to have seen the Master, became pious-minded and offered Him a couch (mañca). On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirhts among divine and human beings and was reborn in a wealthy householder’s family, in the kingdom of Kosala, when this Buddha arose; having gained the name Mudita, he attained the age of intelligence. On that occasion, that family was stopped (palibuddha) by the king on account of something that should be done. Having got intelligence (of it) (mudito) he became frightened by royal danger, fled, entered the forest, and approached the residential abode of a certain thera who had destroyed his cankers. The thera, on having come to know the state of his being afraid conforted him saying; “Do not be afraid.” He asked “Venerable sir! Indeed, within what period of time, will this danger of mine come to cessation (vūpasamessati)? On being told; “After the expiry of seven eight months.” he said thus: “Venerable sir! I am not able to await with patience for this much length of time; I shall become a monk; please make me a monk;” thus he asked for his monkhood for the purpose of looking after his life; the thera made him a monk. He became a monk, aptly gained pious faith in the dispensation, and although the danger (for him) had disappeared (vūpasanta), he kept on being delighted in but the duties of a monk, took hold of mental exercise, and doing the deed of developing spiritual insight, made his pledge thus: “Without having attained Arahantship, I shall not go out of this dwelling chamber;” intently indulged in developing spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained Arahantship. Hence, has it have been said in the Apadāna:– “To the Blessed One Vipassī who was such a sage as the eldest of the people of the world, a couch had been offered by me with (my) pleasing piety and with my own hands (pāṇinā), I was well provided with elephant transport, horse transport and divine conveyance, on account of my offering of that couch. I have attained Arahantship having destroyed all my cankers. It was ninetyone aeons (kappa) ago, that I then made my offering of a couch, I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of my offering of couch. My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. Having, however, attained Arahantship, he spoke four stanzas, in order to speak about the manner (ākāra) of his own proper performance (puṭipanna) when asked about his attainment (adhigata) by his associate bhikkhus(monks), as he kept on aptly experiencing the happiness of emancipation. 311. “I became a monk for the benefit of being alive and I gained the full ordination. Thereafter, I aptly gained pious faith; firm in my energy I put forth my effort. 312. “Let this body of mine be broken, let my lumps of flesh dissolve; let my fore- legs fall off from both of my knees; 313. “I shall not eat, I shall not drink; I shall not also let myself full on my side without my thorn of craving having been removed. 314. “Then that I was dwelling in this manner, so my exertion and effort, the threefold knowledge (tisso vijjā) had been accordingly attained; Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” There, jīvikattho means: he who has desire for living on; the purpose of life (jīvikappayojano). I became a monk for the purpose of keeping myself alive saying to myself thus: “Having become a monk here, I shall be alive without being tired;” thus, is the meaning. Laddhāna upasampadā means: having remained first of all in the renunciation as a novice (sāmaṇera), and gained the full ordination (upasampadā) by means of the motion of the Sangha chaper known as the fourth ñattikamma. Tato saddhaṃ paṭilabhim means: I aptly gained pious faith in the three Gems thus: “The Blessed One is well-self-awakened; the truth (dhamma0 is such as had been well-taught; the clergy of monks is such as had done well its proper performance (paṭipanno),” after having seen the great power of Buddha and so on, acquiring (uggaṇhanto) the learning of some sutta, the mental exercise for calm composure (samatha) and the method (vidhi) of developing spiritual insight, as well as the two tabulated summary (mātikā) and three forms of thanks giving (anumodanā), as I kept on serving good friends beginning from the time of my full ordination thereafter. Daḷhavīriyo parakkamiṃ means: I made my effort after having become one whose exertion is firm and steadfast for the proper penetration into the truths (sacca) but before long, doing the deed of developing spiritual insight (vipassanā) after having aplty gained pious faith in this manner; I made my effort (padahim) but rightly for the forsaking of evil deeds (dhamma) and for the prosperity (upasammadā) of deeds (dhamma). The stanza starting with “Kāmaṃ” has been spoken in order to show that (event ) according as he had, however, made his effort. There, Kāmaṃ means: according as there is desire; bhijjatu means: let it definitely be broken, alternatively. Ayaṃ kāyo means: this my putrid physique; if (my body) becomes broken by this strain (patāpa) of exertion, let it be disintegrated and reduced to pieces. Mamsapesī visīyaruṃ means: if my mass of flesh were to dissolve from this body on account of this firm effort, let it do so; let the same be shattered here and there. Ubho jaṇṇukasandhīhi, jaṅghāyo papatantu me means: let both of my fore legs (jaṅgha) and things (satthi) along with both of (my) knee-joints (jaṇṇukasandhi) having broken off from my thigh-binding (urubandha) and fall down on the ground. There is also such a reading as “Maṃ;” the meaning is but that. The rest is but in the manner as already said before (heṭṭha). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Mudita is complete. ----